Kiely Rodni’s Death is Surrounded by Mystery: Diver Who Found her Body Speaks Out about Her Boyfriend, Conspiracy Theories
16-year-old Kiely Rodni went to a party with friends, but never made it home. Friends and family looked for two
Ivy Griffith
16-year-old Kiely Rodni went to a party with friends, but never made it home.
Friends and family looked for two weeks before an amateur team of divers found the worst – Rodni's body, in the back of her SUV, at the bottom of a California lake near where she went missing.
Her disappearance and the questionable methods used by the Placer County Sheriff's Department have raised serious questions online among amateur crime sleuths. And now, the diver who located Rodni's body has broken his silence on her boyfriend, conspiracy theories and more.
See: Missing Teen Kiely Rodni's Body Found in a Condition That May Delay Autopsy Results
Diver Who Found Kiely Breaks Silence
Doug Bishop from Adventures with Purpose is based out of Oregon, and their team traveled to California to help look for the missing teen when they were told about the case.
Bishop's team located Rodni's body in the Truckee, California lake using sonar technology.
The Sun reports, "[Adventures with Purpose] have been criticized for interviewing an alleged witness, named Nick, who appeared to describe seeing Kiely with a boy in a 'black San Francisco [Giants] ball cap, facing forwards.'
Her boyfriend, Jagger Westfall, was seen in a FOX TV interview wearing a black Giants cap but has vehemently denied he ever attended the party amid online abuse.
Nick, who works for an unnamed roadside assistance company, claimed to have helped who he believed was Kiely and a mystery boy after her car broke down."
PCSD says they interviewed Rodni's boyfriend, but do not consider Westfall a person of interest.
When speaking with The Sun, Bishop explained, "As far as the young man by the name of Jagger is concerned, we never mentioned his name"
"And the hat that was referenced that I think everyone is trying to draw to him, there are millions of those hats that are sold.
He added, "As an organization, we do not consider anything like that to be possible, he's not a suspect, and we never named him as a suspect whatsoever. Now, those conclusions are being drawn and it's unfortunate, but the FBI has completely ruled him out. Obviously we don't want there to be any unnecessary harm on anybody, that's not being done by us. This case was in national headlines and being covered by web sleuths before we even came to town."
Bishop told The Sun, "The main thing that the public needs to understand is we have never named that young man, nor will we ever."
According to Bishop, Westfall is devastated by the speculation online, and Rodni's family doesn't believe he was involved in her death; "Kiely's family is supporting him, they do not think he was involved and he is even living with them at the moment," Bishop said.
The Condition of Kiely’s Body Could Make Toxicology and Autopsy Results Take a Long Time
The NCSO is not providing any further information, including 2 dispel possible rumors, while the investigation in2 the death of #KielyRodni is still open.
— Sleuthie (@SleuthieGoosie) September 21, 2022
CHP is investigating a car crash & the NCSO is investigating if foul play was a factor in the deathhttps://t.co/UMEiOJyiGC
However, Bishop says, that doesn't mean it's not suspicious. "I think it's suspicious [but] it's now in the hands of some of the best professionals in the world, and we have to wait patiently," he said.
"As much as we deem the entire thing to be suspicious, it very well could just be an accident."
Conspiracy theories online abound, many suggesting that PCSD and Nevada County Sheriff's Department have badly fumbled the investigation, and that it shouldn't have taken amateur sleuths to find her body when they were all around the area themselves over the two weeks she was missing.
Many believe Westfall was involved in her death, or possibly the friend who went to the party with her – and her mom.
The Sheriff's Department has said they won't refute online conspiracy theories, instead focusing on a full report that they intend to release before November 1. But they have said that they do not believe Westfall was involved, which many online find suspicious since they aren't even sure of the circumstances of her death.
Rodni's body, found submerged underwater for weeks in warm water, was left in such a state that toxicology results and a full autopsy will be difficult to come by, and may take a long time.
Until those results are in, those following the story online believe it will be impossible to figure out what really happened to Kiely Rodni.